The eagle has landed!  Christmas came early for all of the DJs and music bloggers out there.  “My Love” is quite possibly one of the most eagerly awaited singles in internet history.  Off of Justin Timberlake’s upcoming LP ‘FUTURESEXLOVESOUNDS’ comes what could be a crowning moment for pop music in 2006.  A couple of months ago a low quality mp3 was making the rounds that had a looped vocal over the top of it saying “Atlantic Records for T.I. Clearance” to ensure that it wasnt bootlegged by the masses.  Then about a week or so ago, it happened.  A high quality clean version of the track hit the web.  The obvious ringer for Producer of the Year, Timbaland, really went all out here.  I thought it would be impossible to top Jay Z’s “Dirt of Your Shoulder”.  Not so.  Jittery trance like synths, low BPM, sharp snare hits, and Timberlake’s falsetto…..then ‘The King of the South’ T.I. drops a few bars at the end to top it off.  This is going to tear the f*ing club up!! One of the first quality mixes to come out since the release is by DJ Benastyles from Philly.  Enjoy.

Justin Timberlake - My Love ( DJ Benjastyles Mix)

Toronto’s MSTRKRFT (’Master craft’) have been putting the thump behind some of the best indie rock remixes of the past couple of years.  Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P have been putting in work for the likes of Bloc Party, Wolfmother, Metric, and The Kills.  The collabo was born while Jesse was in need of some production inspiration for his then band Death From Above 1979.  The disco/electro/rock sound they found themselves making lead to a string of positive reviews and a league of fans.  These guys can throw down as DJs too.

A little mash up action for ya…

MSTRKRFT - Paris vs. Sean Paul - Temperature

American Idol

Havent jumped on the Baltimore Club bandwagon as of yet.  Mixed emotions….  As a hip hop and house guy, it has some appeal.  I havent heard a B More record that actually gives me goose bumps.  Spank Rock has put out a couple of decent 12’s. Thats about it… Maybe I just havent been exposed to enough B More yet?  Anyhow, this track was recommended and its growing on me.  I could see me dropping this in a set from time to time. 

Robot Club Rock

Wesley Pentz and I could be twins that were seperated at birth.  At least in terms of what moves us musically.  He, like I, was the kid who always had to be the first one on the block with the tape from some cool new group that nobody had ever heard of before.  Pentz, aka “Diplo“, is making moves now as a globe trotting DJ and evangelist of underground music.  His DJ sets are well known to span many genres including but definitely not limited to hip hop, electro, funk, grime, and indie.  Baile funk, a recent Miami Bass-ish discovery from Rio De Janeiro, has become a promenant influence on his sets.  Diplo is now nearing the end of a recent North American tour for his Mad Decent record label.  He brough along favela favorites Bonde do Role and CSS to tear the fuckin club up.  Got to check the crew out recently when they came through San Diego.  FIRE!!!  Peep out one of his latest mash up jump offs.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion (Diplo Remix) vs. Cassie 

Shepard Fairey = a man with a vision.  I dont think anyone, including himself, could have predicted the “Obey” phenomena.  His t shirts can be found at your local Nordstroms and his pieces can be seen plastered on billboards and buildings from San Diego to Singapore.   What started out as a pet project, turned out to be a global campaign originally driven by skate culture.  Whether fueled by politics or pop culture, his pieces generate discussion about past and present events/people that have shaped the world we live in. Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell recently interviewed Shepard for a series of webisodes called Lola Lives.  Here Fairey discusses his influences and his recent success.

Andres Posse

Banksy

Toys

Politics of Aesthetics

If the DNA from Michael Jackson (not the creepy guy, but the kid we all used to love in the 80’s), Steely Dan, and the movie Tron were spliced together I think you would get something like this video from the group 33HZ.  A touch of electro funk, a hint of Pheonix, and a bit of Daft Punk for good measure.  Its got some cheeze factor for sure but its good for shitz and giggles.

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